I thank you, my heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ your dear Son,
that you have graciously kept me this day.
I pray that you will forgive me all my sins,
wherever I have done wrong,
and graciously keep me this night.
For into your hands I commend myself:
my body, my soul, and all that I have.
Let your holy angel be with me,
so that the wicked foe may have no power over me.
Amen.
LUTHERAN LUTHER'S SMALL CATECHISM, 1529
Luther's Evening Prayer
Also known as Luther's Small Catechism Evening Blessing ยท Evening Blessing (Lutheran)
About this prayer
Luther's Evening Prayer is appointed in the Small Catechism of 1529 as the companion to the Morning Prayer. Together, the two prayers bracket the Christian day with thanksgiving and petition. The evening prayer gives thanks for God's gracious keeping through the day, asks forgiveness for sins committed during the day, and commends body and soul into God's hands for the night. Luther designed both prayers to be simple enough for a child to memorize and to teach a complete theology in miniature: grace, repentance, trust, and protection. The request for forgiveness at the close of the day reflects the Lutheran emphasis on daily repentance as a continuation of baptismal grace.
When it's said
Luther's Evening Prayer is said at bedtime or at the close of the evening in Lutheran households. It is the counterpart to the Morning Prayer and is often said by Lutheran children before sleep. In many Lutheran congregations it forms part of evening prayer services and vespers. Like the Morning Prayer, it is one of the foundational catechism prayers taught from childhood in the Lutheran tradition.
Notes on the text
The structure of the evening prayer parallels the morning prayer almost exactly, with the addition of a petition for forgiveness. The phrase 'wherever I have done wrong' acknowledges the inevitability of daily sin and the need for daily absolution, reflecting Luther's first of the Ninety-five Theses: that the entire life of the Christian is to be one of repentance. 'Into your hands I commend myself' echoes the words of Jesus on the cross (Luke 23:46) and Psalm 31:5.
Common questions
How is Luther's Evening Prayer different from his Morning Prayer?
The two prayers are intentionally parallel and frame the day. The morning prayer gives thanks for protection through the night and asks for protection through the day ahead. The evening prayer reverses the structure: it gives thanks for protection through the day and asks for protection through the night ahead. The evening prayer adds a petition for forgiveness of sins committed during the day, reflecting the natural reflective character of evening prayer.
When did Luther write these prayers?
Both prayers appear in Luther's Small Catechism of 1529 AD. The Small Catechism was designed for use by the head of the household in teaching children and servants, and the prayers were intended to be said by the whole family together at the start and end of each day. They have been used in Lutheran families for nearly five centuries.
Are these prayers used outside Lutheranism?
Increasingly yes. They have been adopted in many ecumenical prayer books, including some Anglican and Methodist devotional collections, because they are short, scriptural, and well-suited to family or personal daily use. The morning and evening prayers from the Small Catechism are widely considered some of the finest examples of household devotional prayer in the Christian tradition.
Source
Martin Luther, Small Catechism, 1529. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.